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Hello,
My girlfriend and I will be getting married this May. She is a US citizen and I’m the alien. A few other facts about us:
- I am currently working on an F-1 visa (OPT, post grad school), which runs out end of July. My employer just sponsored my H-1B visa petition. I also went to college in the US (again F-1) and spent 18 months on a J-1 visa as a visiting worker representing a foreign company
- We’ve known each other for 3.5 years
- We have a legitimate, long-distance relationship. She is from CA, we met in NY (where I lived at the time) and I live in DC now. Over the past 3.5 years, we have seen each other once every 4-6 weeks, on average
We plan for her to file an I-130, while I file I-485 and I-765. I’ve been reading forums and I might be over-analyzing people’s opinions in a vacuum but I’d like to ask if any of the following would be a concern, from the perspective of the USCIS/immigration officers:
- The timing of the application – we plan to submit all paperwork immediately after getting married.
- At present, my gf and I don’t live together. She works for the government and (unsuccessfully) tried to transfer to the DC area. If either of us is to relocate, it would be at the expense of unemployment. We are obviously reluctant. It might take up to a year to move into the same place. How big of an issue is that?
- We are planning for a very small wedding attended only by a couple of family members (cost being the biggest consideration)
Again, our relationship is legitimate but I am worried about the consequences of an unsuccessful interview (especially as they relate to my gf/wife-to-be).
I will be consulting an attorney but any advice/feedback would be much appreciated.
My girlfriend and I will be getting married this May. She is a US citizen and I’m the alien. A few other facts about us:
- I am currently working on an F-1 visa (OPT, post grad school), which runs out end of July. My employer just sponsored my H-1B visa petition. I also went to college in the US (again F-1) and spent 18 months on a J-1 visa as a visiting worker representing a foreign company
- We’ve known each other for 3.5 years
- We have a legitimate, long-distance relationship. She is from CA, we met in NY (where I lived at the time) and I live in DC now. Over the past 3.5 years, we have seen each other once every 4-6 weeks, on average
We plan for her to file an I-130, while I file I-485 and I-765. I’ve been reading forums and I might be over-analyzing people’s opinions in a vacuum but I’d like to ask if any of the following would be a concern, from the perspective of the USCIS/immigration officers:
- The timing of the application – we plan to submit all paperwork immediately after getting married.
- At present, my gf and I don’t live together. She works for the government and (unsuccessfully) tried to transfer to the DC area. If either of us is to relocate, it would be at the expense of unemployment. We are obviously reluctant. It might take up to a year to move into the same place. How big of an issue is that?
- We are planning for a very small wedding attended only by a couple of family members (cost being the biggest consideration)
Again, our relationship is legitimate but I am worried about the consequences of an unsuccessful interview (especially as they relate to my gf/wife-to-be).
I will be consulting an attorney but any advice/feedback would be much appreciated.
